WELLBEING IN EDUCATION
with Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener

Wellbeing was as important to education before the current global pandemic as it is during this time. The spread of the coronavirus, and the ensuing distress it has caused, has elevated wellbeing to a place of prominence in discussions of workplace performance, continuity of service, engaged learning, and positive relationships. This webinar series brings the topic of wellbeing to home for educators. Using a variety of professional surveys, educator interviews, and published research, Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener will discuss trends in and obstacles to wellbeing.

He will provide an overview of the topic in the first session. In the second session, he will explore the nature of distress and its effects on our thinking and work. Here, he will also provide specific strategies for managing distress effectively. In the third and final session, Robert will argue that attending to positives—although not exclusively—is also a vital aspect of effective coping. He will provide case studies and specific advice that might be tailored to a wide range of educational settings. This webinar will be helpful to many education stakeholders including staff, instructors, and parents.

Session 1: Is wellbeing in education different than wellbeing elsewhere?

In this session, we will discuss education-specific wellbeing. We will learn about current trends in teacher wellbeing and pandemic-specific stressors faced by all education stakeholders. We will identify a number of common obstacles to focusing on wellbeing and a successful case study. This session is the foundation for the two subsequent sessions, in which we will focus on strategies for coping with distress and for enjoying positive moments, respectively.

After this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. List two types of distress specific to parents and teachers
2. Identify two benefits of wellbeing
3. Name 3 common obstacles to coping
4. Examining a successful case study

Session 2: How to cope with distress

In this session, we will take a broad view of coping. We will begin by examining what coping is and discuss its relationship to planning. Next, we will focus on a familiar but often overlooked phenomenon during the pandemic: why some advice doesn’t work or seems tone deaf. After addressing this issue, we turn our sites to classroom and school-specific strategies for reducing distress.

After this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Define coping
2. Explain why some advice works while other advice does not
3. List two strategies that will reduce distress

Session 3: Does wellbeing feel good?

In this session, we shift our focus to positive experiences. We will discuss research suggesting many benefits of a positive focus. Even so, this discussion takes place with the caveat that we can still acknowledge problems and stressors. Case studies will be used to understand a positive focus within the educational environment.

After this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. List 3 benefits of a positive focus
2. Name 2 pathways for enhancing positivity in the educational setting
3. Create priorities for self and students based on this research

TIMES & REGISTRATION

ALSO NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATION

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